Talk:Campaign VII Session 3 Journal/@comment-44521261-20191210213729
Only a few dozen steps into Urlagt Byer, and we are attacked. We pressed into the market place and found ourselves on the receiving end of spider-riding duergars' spears. (If I recall correctly from my foreign cultures class in academy, riders of this sort are know as "kavalrachni".) The savage and the tracker swung their weapons, I threw about orbs of arcane fire and destruction, and the Parunian saw fit to bring greenery into this sunless realm. We managed to not kill one of these riders, and tied her up for an interrogation. The threat of a rabid badger was the interrogative tool of choice, and it proved quite effective. (It fascinates me how one creature can simultaneously be so adorable, yet so horrifying.) She informed us of nearby encampments of her people, which we went on to avoid going towards the forges. In the forges we enountered a loud voice demanding we pay some sort of price. My newly summoned familiar, Venge the Hellraven, scouted ahead for us and was immediately destroyed by flames. I'd be more traumatized perhaps, had I had more than only a few hours to bond with him. We ended up in battle with foes of elemental fire, so suffice to say, I found myself somewhat disarmed as an opponent. Fortunately Cadence was able to parley with the elementals, and we learned that the price they wanted was metal for passage through the forge. We are currently resting in here, and while the sound of constant hammering of metal upon metal was initially annoying, it has slowly become a calming white noise for me as I prepare to slumber. On an aside, I feel the need to write that I was a bit unnerved by the method by which we dealt with the duergar after the interrogation. I am not the most righteous individual by any meaningful measure, but I would like to believe that when one cooperates with you and provides details they would rather not have, that there would be some sort of compensation for it, even if it is just sparing their life. I would have been content to just leave her tied up, to perhaps eventually be found by her peers, but the Parunian had a different idea. His belief was that his god of fortune and debauchery was the most appropriate judge of the dark dwarf's fate; his rod consumed her in a lethal, fiery explosion. It isn't quite the conduct I'd expect from a holy man, but then again, Parun isn't exactly the holiest of the Empyreans, so it would be foolish to expect his mortal representative to be anything like Nuadun's. Still though, I find it disconcerting when I can't predict one's actions. I can count on WIldslayer to mostly keep his thoughts to himself and speak in broken grammar. I can count on Cadence to take point on any foray and to enjoy the company of her badger companion during downtime. At any given point though, I never, ever know what the priest is going to do, and that brings me no small amount of anxiety. The sooner this adventure is over, the better. -Cadwick